AP to get central and tribal universities, will be completed in 4 years: HRD MinisterParliament approved a Bill to set up a central university and a tribal university in Andhra Pradesh, with HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal assuring the two varsities will be completed in the next four years.advertisement Press Trust of India New DelhiJuly 17, 2019UPDATED: July 17, 2019 17:55 IST Parliament approved a Bill to set up a central university and a tribal university in Andhra Pradesh.Parliament Tuesday approved a Bill to set up a central university and a tribal university in Andhra Pradesh, with HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal assuring the two varsities will be completed in the next four years. The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was passed in Rajya Sabha with a voice vote. The Lok Sabha had passed the Bill on July 12.Currently, these two universities are functioning in temporary facilities in Anantpur and Vizianagaram respectively.Replying on the Bill after around three hours debate, the Minister assured the members that these two universities would be completed in four years and there would be no fund constraints.Read: Bill introduced for central, tribal universities in Andhra Pradesh in Lok SabhaFunds allocated for the two universitiesThe government has already allocated Rs 450 crore for the central university against the total outlay of Rs 902.07 crore and Rs 420 crore for tribal university against the outlay of Rs 836 crore, he said.On members’ concern over the delay in setting up of the two varsities in Andhra Pradesh, the Minister said the government has in fact approved in the shortest span setting of the two central universities in the state.Already, IIT, NIT, IIM, and IIITs have been approved for Andhra Pradesh, he said adding that so many institutions are being set up in such a short span whereas many things have still not been done in Uttarkhand which was carved out way back in 2000.How will the two varsities help Andhra Pradesh develop?According to the Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2019, the two universities will increase access and quality of higher education and also promote avenues of higher education for the people of the state.advertisementThe Tribal University will provide instructional and research facilities in tribal art, culture and customs and advancement in technology to the tribal population of India.At present, there is no central university in Andhra Pradesh while other states, except Goa, have one or more such institution.Setting up a central university and a central tribal university in Andhra Pradesh is obligatory under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 for creation of Telangana.The Minister also mentioned that a tribal central university will be set up in Telangana when the land will be provided by the state government.Problems with the proposed varsitiesParticipating in the debate, YSRCP member Vijaysai Reddy said the government should give a timeframe for establishing two universities in Andhra Pradesh.More than five years have passed and the central government has sanctioned only Rs 18 crore for the setting of Tribal university, he said.Speaking about the central university, Reddy said that even in the second year of operation, the institution is functioning without proper infrastructure and academic staff.He sought permanent staff and infrastructure for the central university.Reddy raised the issue of special category status to Andhra Pradesh and said the present government has not fulfilled the promise made by the Manmohan Singh government. in this regard.Javed Ali Khan (SP) sought reasons for not completing setting up of the two universities in Andhra Pradesh over the past five years.He also mentioned that the government was setting up so many universities with adhoc staff and that efforts should be make to appoint permanent staff.K Keshava Rao (TRS) alleged step-motherly treatment to Telangana. K Ravindra Kumar (TDP) said the central university was running without permanent campus and faculties.P Bhattacharya (Congress), GVL Narsimha Rao (BJP), A Vijayakumar (AIDMK), Abir Ranjan Biswas (AITC), Prashanta Nanda (BJP), Kahkashan Perween (JD-U), KK Ragesh (CPI-M), Manoj Kumar Jha (RJD), Swapan Dasgupta (Nominated), L Hanumanthiah (Congress) and Vinay P Sahasrabuddhe (BJP) participated in the debate.Members raised concern over the poor infrastructure facilities as well as huge vacancies in faculties in central universities across the country.Read: This university has launched a master’s programme to fight against climate changeRead: Sports University in Patiala to be operational from September 1Get real-time alerts and all the news on your phone with the all-new India Today app. Download from Post your comment Do You Like This Story? Awesome! Now share the story Too bad. Tell us what you didn’t like in the comments Posted byRoshni Tags :Follow Central universityFollow tribal universityFollow Andhra Pradesh
AP to get central and tribal universities, will be completed in 4 years: HRD MinisterAP to get central and tribal universities, will be completed in 4 years: HRD Minister
October 25, 2019October 25, 2019
OTTAWA – Faith-based organizations are welcome to seek federal funding to create summer jobs for youth, the Liberal government says, but it has not budged from a new requirement that recipients demonstrate they respect a woman’s right to have an abortion.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he is willing to work with churches and other religious groups that have expressed their concerns over the new application process for the Canada Summer Jobs program, which requires applicants to attest that neither their core mandate nor the job itself oppose human rights, including those related to abortion, sexual orientation and gender identity.“The aim of adding that attestation to the application form is to ensure that organizations who have those stated goals — either discrimination against minorities or removing rights from women — that federal taxpayer funding does not get directed there,” Trudeau spokesman Cameron Ahmad said Wednesday.“Other organizations, faith-based organizations who do plenty of work outside those realms, would not be affected by the attestation.”Julia Beazley, director of public policy at the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, said the Liberals are sending mixed messages.“They remain unequivocal about the attestation,” she said, “so, it’s sort of like saying, ‘You’re welcome to apply, if you decide to agree with us and check off this attestation.”Some faith-based organizations have discussed submitting an alternative attestation, such as by saying they support all charter and human rights law, but do not want to be compelled to express broad support for reproductive rights.Employment and Social Development Canada suggested such applications would be rejected outright.“The attestation is required for the application … to be considered complete and eligible for assessment,” a spokesman for the department said in an email when asked specifically what would happen if an organization submitted an alternative attestation.Matt Pascuzzo, a spokesman for Employment Minister Patty Hajdu, said federal officials have been proactively contacting organizations that have received funding through the program in the past to answer questions and field concerns about the new application process.He, too, said a workaround would not succeed.“We’ve been clear in the applicant guide that in order to proceed you have to sign or click a button that signs the attestation and that’s the way we’ve decided to go with it,” Pascuzzo said.The decision stems from a controversy last year when officials approved tens of thousands of dollars for groups opposing abortion.“The government took swift action to undertake a review of the Canada Summer Jobs program when it came to our attention that program funding was being used for jobs for young Canadians in environments that did not respect the rights of all Canadians (for example, an organization that uses summer interns to advocate against LGBTQ rights),” the departmental spokesman wrote in an email.Similar eligibility criteria — without the attestation — have been put in place for the new national youth volunteer program.But the government has gone too far in trying to achieve its goal, Beazley argued, since it could have simply changed the criteria to make it clear grants should not be used to fund jobs where the primary activity is advocating for change to existing laws.“But essentially, they have put in place a values test which requires applicants to agree with something that they don’t want to in order to be eligible — or your alternative, as they are making very clear, is just to forego the funding altogether.”The irony, Beazley suggested, is that the Liberal government would likely take no issue with many of the summer jobs hosted by religious groups.“They serve without discrimination, but they do this out of a religious ethos, out of a certain religious identity, and they are well within their rights to do that,” she said.Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said it is up to the government to decide what it will fund and what it will not, but it goes too far when Trudeau is trying to impose his “personal values” on the summer camps, soup kitchens and shelters that receive support from the program.“For them to have their funding jeopardized because of their own views on some of these issues, it doesn’t make sense to me,” Scheer said Wednesday in Washington.— With files from Jordan Press in Ottawa and Alexander Panetta in Washington— Follow @smithjoanna on Twitter
Casablanca- Earlier this year, founder of the Shuvu Bonim religious seminary in Israel, Eliezer Berland, 76, had fled to Morocco after being incriminated of sexually abusing two women. The Chasidic rabbi was not the only “runway” to seek shelter in Morocco, a thing that has aroused the anxiety of the Jewish community in Morocco.Before his residency permit in Morocco expired, Berland had lured several followers to him especially on his grandson’s wedding. According to news outlet Haaretz, Berland was forced to leave the kingdom mainly by the Jewish community there, as his presence, along with that of other Israeli fugitives, was deemed as jeopardy to Muslim-Jewish relations in Morocco.“Berland was the last straw; he really had to go,” Sam Ben Chetrit, president of the World Federation of Moroccan Jewry, was quoted as saying by Haaretz.According to the same source, several Israelis residing permanently or temporarily in Morocco have mafia ties.Meir Abergil, Moshe Elgrably; and Shalom Domran are all names of Israeli fugitives the Harretz cites to demonstrate how the kingdom has become “a go-to-place” for Israeli outlaws escaping the grip of law in Israel.Strikingly shocking, these Israeli criminals easily earn the permission to reside in Morocco after a few manipulations at the level of administrative documentation.Moreover, some Moroccan Jews seem to support some of these Israeli fugitives. Jacky Kadoch, president of the Marrakech Jewish community, had showed support for Berland and disapproved of all allegations against him.Yet, other Moroccan Jews see in the presence of such fugitives a threat to the Muslim-Jewish relationships as well as jeopardy to the Jewish community’s reputation in Morocco, which is inescapably tainted by the criminal profiles of Israeli fugitives who flee to the kingdom.© Morocco World News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed
Geosoft introduced new subscription plans for its Target geology software at the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) international convention in Toronto this week. These Target subscriptions gives customers affordable access to market-leading technology for geological modelling and interpretation. Flexible options include monthly, annual and multi-year subscription plans.The new Target subscriptions include a toolset for geochemical analysis and QA that provides the ability to validate and analyze assay results.Subscription-based software is a trend that’s taking hold across all industries, based on the appeal of removing the upfront costs of software ownership and the flexibility to manage and adjust plans to meet changing business needs.“We have seen growing interest in software subscriptions from exploration companies of all sizes seeking short-term predictability and an easier way to manage access to their software technology,” says Darin Bryce, Geosoft Global Business Director, Mineral Exploration. “Geosoft’s multidisciplinary approach to intelligent exploration is a key strength, and the Target subscription gives customers access to essential geological and geochemical tools together for a great value.”Target subscribers receive the latest Geosoft software updates, as they are released, access to continuous support and online learning resources. On-demand training is available at affordable prices.
iVolve, a provider of fleet management systems for the mining sector, has announced a partnership with RDO Construction Equipment Co, a value-added distributor of products and support for the mining, construction and agriculture industries, as a national distributor for the United States mining market. Through the partnership, RDO will expand the reach of iVolve’s mining solutions throughout the United States.“iVolve is excited to work with RDO, extending their current product offerings to include full fleet management,” said Kim Parascos, CEO of iVolve. “RDO’s commitment to providing the ultimate in service and care aligns with our core company values. They are a welcome addition to our partner program and we look forward to working closely with their top rate team.”iVolve believes is a great need for real-time reporting of production and maintenance data with a low total cost of ownership in many mines in Australia and overseas. “Real time machine intelligence improves operational efficiency directly related to production, maintenance, safety and plant management across all aspects of mining from the machine operators to the management team. iVolve is excited to work with RDO in assisting mine operators across the United States to make the transition with the deployment of iVolve Fleet Management Solutions.”
Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article By Rónán Duffy Get our daily news round up: 15,278 Views Thursday 30 Mar 2017, 9:10 PM Share2 Tweet Email Here’s What Happened Today: Thursday Helicopter crash site found, Disclosures Tribunal begins and Ian Bailey arrested. Musicians from Schola Gregoriana of Cambridge perform a recently rediscovered 500-year-old Easter carol at Battle Abbey in East Sussex. Source: PA Wire/PA Images#CYCLONE DEBBIE: Torrential rain is hampering relief efforts after a powerful cyclone wreaked havoc in northeast Australia.#NORTH KOREA: The body of Kim Jong-Nam will be sent to North Korea and nine Malaysians in Pyongyang will be allowed to leave.#TRUMP BLOW: The US federal judge who halted President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban has extended the block.PARTING SHOT Source: Facebook/TheStoneTwinsAn Post, have released a series of Irish stamps commemorating emoji. The stamps were designed by The Stone Twins, two Irish brothers now based in Amsterdam. Short URL No Comments NEED TO CATCH up? TheJournal.ie brings you a round-up of today’s news.IRELAND Kerry Comic Con is coming to the INEC, Killarney this weekend. Source: Valerie O’SullivanA Dublin-born woman is believed to be among the five dead following a helicopter crash in Wales.Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan appeared before the Oireachtas Justice Committee.The Disclosures Tribunal into alleged smear campaigns against garda whistleblowers began in Dublin.Ian Bailey was arrested on foot of a European Arrest Warrant.The funeral of Rescue 116 crash victim Captain Mark Duffy took place in Co Louth.The Vatican has confirmed Pope Francis’ plan to visit Ireland.Danielle McLaughlin, the Irishwoman murdered in India earlier this month, was laid to rest in Buncrana.The DPP has expressed concern about the upcoming trial of water protesters for the alleged false imprisonment of Joan Burton.A rapist who poses ‘an indefinite danger to women’ was jailed for 18 months after a sexual assault in the Dart.Gardaí have appealed for assistance after a man’s body was found on Bray beach.A woman who banged her knee sitting down at restaurant table was awarded damages of €20,000.WORLD http://jrnl.ie/3315988 Mar 30th 2017, 9:10 PM 
With interest rates at record lows, banks and other lenders have been warned by the Reserve Bank and the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority not to loosen their lending standards to win customers.The RBA said “it was especially important that banks maintained prudent lending standards.”APRA chairman John Laker said: “There is broader risk that institutions will come under pressure to lower their lending standards to either protect market share or acquire market share.”The International Monetary Fund has called for greater lending restrictions.Source: Australian Financial Review Facebook Twitter: @NeosKosmos Instagram
Two-thirds (66%) of employers find that providing benefits that suit the needs of a diverse workforce is a major challenge, according to research by global insurance brokerage, risk management and consultancy firm Gallagher.Its Benefits strategy and benchmarking survey, which polled 172 UK employers, also found that 45% of HR professionals plan to change their current benefits provision, with 72% of those who do aim to make changes seeking to enhance their offering. Just under half (47%) want to increase the number of flexible options within their benefits package, to extend individual choice.In terms of flexible working, 91% of respondents offer part-time roles or shorter hours and 69% enable staff to personalise their working hours, within certain parameters. However, 52% of employers do not allow staff to work from home.Just over two-fifths (43%) of organisations offer their employees the opportunity to work a condensed week, while 24% provide agile working options. Only 14% of employers have the ability to offer term-time only working arrangements.Communication is also a topic on employers’ radars, as 36% view this as a barrier to effective employee benefits. The majority (84%) of respondents do not use total reward statements to communicate about their benefits; of those that do use this method, 77% send them digitally.More than half (52%) of respondents state that it is difficult to adequately benchmark their benefits offering against the market.Leslie Lemenager, president, international employee benefits consulting and brokerage at Gallagher, said: “While cost is always central to business performance, we are seeing a shift in the market as employers are having to compete for talent in a very diverse workforce.“The fact that 47% of organisations are aiming to enhance flexibility in benefits provisions, despite cost management being the biggest challenge, points to a strong recognition that there is a need to go above and beyond to attract and retain talent.”
High school students in Kodiak are doing college-level science. Maybe even PhD-level science.World Bridge is a NASA-sponsored group that assigns Alaskan students to scientific research projects. At a recent competition in Italy, the group showed that their earthquake research could have a global impact, but that’s only one project they’re working on. They’ve also entered the world of nano-agriculture.Download AudioAnna sprays a patch of grass as the Kodiak football team practices in the background. (Photo by Kayla Desroches, KMXT – Kodiak)High school junior Anna McDonald sprays an organic fertilizer over a sad-looking patch of dirt on a baseball field. The solution isn’t a chemical, just a combination of microorganisms, sea kelp, and mineral electrolytes. Anna says microbes do all the work.“… like an earthworm, just eats the toxic soil and digests it and it comes out and it’s perfectly balanced, perfectly natural, just how the earth is made to function,” she said.Anna and two other students look like exterminators – or Ghostbusters – carrying the fertilizer in plastic backpacks, which Anna says they bought off Amazon. The team has already treated eight other fields and, so far, Anna says the fertilizer seems to be working.“There was area that was completely bare and we treated it with this enzyme and we came back in four weeks to measure our data and get our results and see what had happened, and it had grown back completely,” she said. “It was full and green, and it looked better than the surrounding area.”Anna and a handful of other students partnered with the fertilizer’s company to spray a local golf course. Why this product? Well, Anna says, the company reached out to them.Anna. (Photo by Kayla Desroches, KMXT – Kodiak)But also, “We were very interested in what we could do with it and we wanted to see what it would do for ourselves instead of just reading about it in a paper,” Anna said.Anna says she’s especially interested in chemistry and the way it can be applied in real-world situations, which is why she loves nano-agriculture.While spraying the field, a young student recognizes her.“Ron and I have gone to some middle school classes before to talk to kids about nano-ag and also about tsunami marine debris,” Anna said.She means Ron Fortunato, the creator of World Bridge, an Alaska STEM program that develops partners in business and industry and then creates real-world projects in school districts.Fortunato is based in New Jersey. But he worked on a project in Juneau’s school district and the positive experience, and interest in further collaborations from other people in the state, led him to Alaska once again for World Bridge.Fortunato says officials with the Kodiak Island School District jumped at the chance to get involved in World Bridge.And this summer, a group of Kodiak high schoolers travelled to Como, Italy to present earthquake data at the Europa Challenge. It’s a competition sponsored in part by NASA along with other international organizations and it usually only accepts university students or industry professionals. Fortunato says they made an exception for the group.“The researchers that were there, the universities, all the professional who were there,” Fortunato said. “They didn’t talk to them like they were high school students. There was a full measure of respect and welcome into the community – of that geospatial community, which is a big international group there. And it wasn’t that they were looking at them as students. They were looking at their work.”(Photo by Kayla Desroches, KMXT – Kodiak)The Kodiak team won that competition.With the help of NASA and other sponsors, World Bridge’s Kodiak students have a lot of resources at their fingertips.I drop by their lab in the Alaska Department of Fish and Game building, and there’s a 3D printer set up on one table and a drone on another. In other words, it’s every science buff’s fantasy.“And then this is the nano-ag bench,” Anne said, giving me a tour of the facility. “Since most of our work is done in the field, this is just kind of where we’re able to sit at our computers and write up reports or decipher all of our data. And it’s where we store our enzyme and our other supplies.”And if you’re wondering where World Bridge is headed from here, well, it’s all ongoing. And as another student, senior Levi Purdy explains, they’re a team like any other research group.“Both the professionals and the students and the teachers, we’re all learning above what we understand,” Purdy said. “We’re all experimenting and testing hypotheses, so there’s really no one of us can be on any level higher than the other, because we’re all collaborating and we’re trying to solve a problem.”As the program proves, the line between high school and college, student and teacher, can blur. Check the sources the next time you read a study online or a news article. You may be surprised by who collected that data.
In this image taken from video, Javier Garrido Martinez, left and Alan Garcia, right, sit with their 4-year-sons at a news conference in New York, Wednesday, 11 July 2018. They men were reunited with their children after almost two months of separation, Authorities took their boys them when they stopped at the US southern border. Photo : APThe Trump administration said Thursday all eligible small children who were separated from their families as a result of its zero-tolerance immigration policy have been reunited with their parents.But nearly half of the children under 5 remain apart from their families because of safety concerns, the deportation of their parents and other issues, the administration said.The administration was under a court mandate to reunite families separated between early May and 20 June, when president Donald Trump signed an executive order that stopped separations. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on behalf of a woman who had been separated from her child, and US district court judge Dana Sabraw ordered all children reunited with their parents.Fifty-seven children were reunited with their parents as of Thursday morning, administration officials said.”Throughout the reunification process, our goal has been the well-being of the children and returning them to a safe environment,” according to a statement from the heads of the three agencies responsible for the process. “Of course, there remains a tremendous amount of hard work and similar obstacles facing our teams in reuniting the remaining families. The Trump administration does not approach this mission lightly.”Most of the reunions occurred by Tuesday’s court-ordered deadline, but the government acknowledged in a court filing that 19 occurred Wednesday and one Thursday.The ACLU proposed in a court filing that the administration should be monitored closely as a 26 July deadline approaches to reunite more than 2,000 children who are 5 and older with their parents. It asked the judge to require that all parental relations be verified and all background checks be completed by next Thursday. It also wants a daily report on how many families are reunited, starting Tuesday.The ACLU also proposed that the administration be given no more than a week to reunite 12 young children with their now-deported parents, from whom they were separated at the border. The clock would start ticking as soon as the parent obtains travel documents for the child.”There is no excuse for the Trump administration’s missed deadline,” said ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt. “Children are suffering because of it. The government must get these families back together.”The administration said in its filing that it is difficult to determine how much time is needed and that reunifications should occur “on a flexible schedule.”Both sides are due back in court Friday to expand on their proposals. It will be the fourth hearing in eight days, an indication of how closely the judge is watching his deadlines.The US officials said 46 of the children were not eligible to be reunited with their parents; a dozen parents had already been deported and were being contacted by the administration. Nine were in custody of the US Marshals Service for other offenses. One adult’s location was unknown, they said.Of the deported parents, officials said they had chosen to leave their children behind. One deported father, however, told the Los Angeles Times earlier this week that he didn’t realise what he was doing when he signed the paperwork to leave his child behind. It wasn’t clear if he was one of the dozen; no names have been made public.In 22 other cases, adults posed safety concerns, they said. Officials said 11 adults had serious criminal histories including child cruelty, murder or human smuggling. Seven were not determined to be a parent, one had a false birth certificate, one had allegedly abused the child. Another planned to house the child with an adult charged with sexually abusing a child.”The seriousness of the crimes is the reason why we are not going to reunite them,” Matthew Albence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement said of the 22 cases.The 46 children will remain in the care of Health and Human Services, which will continue to seek to place them with a sponsor, such as another family member or even foster care, as it does for the more than 10,000 other minors who arrived in the US without a relative. Children spend an average of 57 days in shelters before they’re placed with a sponsor. They are given access to medical care and counseling, as well as school.The zero-tolerance policy calls for the criminal prosecution of anyone caught crossing the border illegally. Because parents can’t take their children to jail, they were separated. The move caused an international uproar. At least 2,300 children were separated from about 2,200 adults until the executive order was signed. Federal officials have been scrambling to reunite the children under a tight, two-week deadline set by the judge.Part of the issue, administration officials said, is that the systems weren’t set up to reunify parents with their children. Health and Human Services manages their care inside the US Homeland Security has control over adults in immigration detention, and the Justice Department manages the immigration courts.Earlier this week, government attorneys told Sabraw that the Trump administration would not meet the deadline for about 20 children under 5 because it needed more time to track down parents who have already been deported or released into the US.Sabraw indicated more time would be allowed only in specific cases where the government showed good reasons for a delay.
Sam Morris/Getty ImagesAttendees cheer a speaker during the Women’s March “Power to the Polls” voter registration tour launch at Sam Boyd Stadium on January 21, 2018, in Las Vegas, Nevada.It was Saturday afternoon, and Abigail Spanberger was in a busy hallway at the Chesterfield County Public Library in Midlothian, Va., minutes away from training a room of about 40 campaign volunteers. She seemed ready for a quick interview, but then abruptly called out to her campaign manager.“Hey Dana, Eileen Davis is about to come through. Can you head her off at the pass so she doesn’t interrupt the — “She cut herself off and turned to me.“That’s my mother,” Spanberger laughed.Her mom is volunteering for her campaign?“Evidently.”Spanberger didn’t know she was coming?“I just saw her walking. I did not know she was coming. But all her friends are in this county, so.”Democratic women (even those who don’t have a daughter running for Congress) are amped up for 2018. It’s visible in Spanberger’s volunteers, about two-thirds of whom are women, and in this race’s candidates as well.Spanberger is one of three women Democrats, along with one man, vying for that party’s nomination in this district. And that mini-wave in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District is a microcosm of something happening nationwide.At latest count, 431 women were running for or were likely to run for the House nationwide — 339 Democrats and 92 Republicans. At this point in 2016, there were fewer than half that: 212. Likewise, 50 women are running for or likely to run for Senate, compared to 25 at this point in 2016. Many have not officially filed for office yet — filing deadlines have not occurred yet in many states. But thus far, this year is on track to break records. Share A largely Democratic phenomenon“We’ve never seen anything like this. Ever seen anything like this,” said Stephanie Schriock president of Emily’s List, which recruits and trains Democratic women candidates who support abortion rights.At this point in the 2016 cycle, she said, around 920 women had reached out to Emily’s List saying they were interested in running for office. At that time, that was a relatively high number. And it makes this year’s total all the more eye-popping.“To have over 30,000 women raise their hand, it’s unprecedented.” That figure comprises more than just 2018 candidates, however. Some of those women are interested in running in elections in future years. Others may end up working on campaigns.Whether it’s House, Senate, or governor’s races, that energy is largely one-sided, according to Deborah Walsh, director of the Center on American women and Politics at Rutgers University.“I think it’s really being driven on the Democratic side,” she said. “I think the energy and the excitement and the determination, not just to run but also in terms of who’s going to show up to vote, right now, that’s on the side of the Democrats.”One other way Virginia’s 7th District parallels national political dynamics: the man they elected last time has energized Democratic women. Republican Dave Brat, who holds the seat, made headlines in January 2017, when a video captured his remarks to a town hall about women opposing his policies.“And now, since Obamacare and these issues have come up, the women are in my grill no matter where I go,” he said, to laughter from his constituents.That comment upset plenty of Democrats. And yet, in Alli’s view, Brat is exactly right.“Women are in his grill. We need to be in his grill,” she said. The main issue on which she disagrees with Brat is health care. Brat voted for the Republicans’ American Health Care Act, which would have undone key parts of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.Brat told NPR that that he was simply using language that he had heard voters use against him. Regardless, the quote has fired up women in the district, according to Abigail Spanberger, another Democratic candidate in the district.“It was a bit of a rallying call for many people, and a funny comment, a funny turn of phrase that he used,” she said, “but I think it is representative of the fact that there are a lot of people, many of them women, who started this past year, in 2017, really being vocal about what was important to them.”Donald Trump, “the gift that keeps on giving”Of course, it’s not just Brat firing up women in the 7th District. They, like many women nationwide, are fired up by Donald Trump.“At one time, when the election happened, and the women’s march, we all just by telepathy just said, ‘No we gotta fix this. We’re gonna fix it.’ And we are,” said Helen Alli, the third female Democratic candidate running in the district.Donald Trump’s election and inauguration kicked off a nationwide movement among Democratic women. Women took to the streets by the millions in January 2017, bearing protest signs and wearing “pussy hats,” in reference to the infamous 2005 Access Hollywood tape, in which Trump bragged about sexual assault.And since his election, Trump has continued to dump gasoline on the already-roaring fire of Democratic women’s enthusiasm, according to Rutgers’ Walsh.“I’ve often thought that if you were an organizer out there trying to organize what is called the resistance or the women organizing the women who are thinking about running,” Walsh said, “Donald Trump is the gift that keeps on giving in terms of motivation to stay engaged and stay involved and not lose your enthusiasm.”Everything from policies on health care and immigration to scandals like former White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter’s resignation after allegations against him of domestic abuse were revealed, all continually combine to keep Democratic women energized, she said.YouTubeIn Republican Rep. Martha McSally’s ad announcing her run for Senate in Arizona, she urged other Republicans in Washington to “grow a pair of ovaries.”“Conservatives are just not included. We’re not invited.”Democrats aren’t the only ones having a big year when it comes to recruitment. Republican woman likewise have seen a surge in candidates, even if it isn’t quite as eye-popping of a surge as Democrats’ numbers. Twenty-one Republican women are running for Senate this year, along with 92 for the House, and 31 for governorships. In all those cases, that’s more than in any year at this point since at least 2002, according to figures from Rutgers University.According to Missy Shorey, executive director of Maggie’s List, which promotes and trains Republican women candidates, Republican women are excluded from many conversations about gender politics in the U.S. today.“For so many of those marches, conservatives are just not included. We’re not invited,” she said. “In fact, we’re disinvited sometimes. That’s fine, if that’s the way the left wants [us] to be treated. But ignore us at your own peril.”Despite the Democratic wave, Shorey is optimistic about November. She says Republicans are seeing increased energy as well, though it’s different. And Shorey thinks some voters will perceive the newly galvanized Democratic women as too angry.“I think when you see on the left the whole concept of ‘the avengers,’ I would argue that the avenger is an angry offering that in many areas will be rejected,” Shorey said.On top of that, she thinks high-profile sexual misconduct allegations against men in Washington will turn voters toward women candidates as a practical matter. She talks about a conversation she had recently with one Republican woman candidate.“She said, I have more men coming up to me saying, ‘I’m going to vote for you, because I am sick of the way these men have been behaving,’” Shorey said.But then, the sexual misconduct allegations against the president himself, by more than a dozen women, are a major factor pushing Democratic women to run for office.For Emily’s List’s Schriock, that wave is a silver lining of Donald Trump’s election…but, in her mind, it’s cold comfort.“It is not worth, it was not worth it. I would have taken our 920 who wanted to run [in 2016] to have a different president. I would have taken that.”Voting on party, not genderAn influx of women candidates doesn’t necessarily mean more women will be inspired to vote for those candidates. In general, political scientists say, people vote based on party far more than they vote based on gender.For Breanne Woodson, a voter from Cumberland County, Virginia, that’s definitely the case.“Since I’ve been 18, I’ve never voted Republican. I probably never will,” Woodson said.Woodson met Alli while the candidate was campaigning at a salon in Henrico, Virginia. Woodson said she wasn’t sure who she might vote for in a primary election. But in the general election, party would mean more than a candidate being a woman.“I don’t really care about their gender, as long as they’re a decent person and I know they’re going to do what they’re supposed to do,” she said.That said, there are some voters who do care about gender to some degree. One is Zahra Lakhani, owner of the salon Alli visited. While Lakhani declined to give her political party, she said she was happy to let a woman candidate like Alli come and campaign at her salon.“Only a woman can understand a woman’s challenges. And being a mother, being a daughter, a sister, a wife, divorced, single mom, business owner, leader in community as well, it’s not just one thing that you do,” she said. “So a woman is the only one who will understand another woman and their challenges.”Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
D.C. agencies and residents in the Petworth community gathered July 27 for an afternoon of food, fun, and entertainment called “Beat the Streets.” The event was part of a community outreach effort by the D.C. government to strengthen relationships and assist poor residents in Ward 4.District agencies present at the “Beat the Streets” event included the Metro Transit Police Department, University of the District of Columbia, Drug Free Youth.com, MedStar Family Choice, and the Department of Employment Services, among others. “This is really nice, they really need to do more of this,” said Terry W., 60, a longtime resident of Petworth who said that gentrification has increased costs so much that he can no longer afford to live in the area.“The gentrification has made it more difficult,” said Carolyn Smith, clinical director of the Georgia Avenue Family Support Collaborative, a nonprofit organization that serves families in Ward 4 with children under the age of 18. “We work with the homeless families that come from D.C. General. It has been virtually impossible to find affordable housing for those families in Ward 4 now. We used to work with landlords that helped us and kept their rents reasonable, now most have sold their properties, torn them down, and made condos out of them.”Despite the hardships gentrification has caused on the area’s residents, the event enabled them to relax and enjoy go-go beats and R&B music. “We’re just here to enjoy ourselves and have fun,” said Nicole Stewart, manager of the girls dance group Eesha’s World from New Jersey. “I’ve been doing this for 12 years now and I love D.C. I think getting together with the police is lovely because they get to see the other side. They’re protecting us and we feel safe, I’ve never had any problems with the police.”Police Lt. A.W. Washington was in charge of the event. “We sponsor street activities in the community and bring different resources in one location and encourage people to interact with their neighbors and the police officers, meet city officials, and come out and take advantage of the city agencies that are here,” Washington told the AFRO.Washington credits the police department’s partnership with the community as the reason for low crime in the area. “The crime in this area has been significantly been reduced,” he said. “Our partnership with the community has been outstanding, and because of that we have been able to reduce crime by double digits. The last violent crime was about three or four months ago.”According to the police crime data, as of Aug. 2, the immediate area had two incidents of violent crime and 17 incidents of property crime, mostly theft, in 2016.
Hardcore gamers may not be fans of Microsof’s decision to only partially focus on game quality in promoting the Xbox One, but this latest advertisement featuring Zachary Quinto hits with the precision of a Vulcan nerve pinch.There’s been a series of missteps in introducing Microsoft’s next-gen console, but the overall message was never one of them. The idea of an “everything” console linking together the devices housed in your entertainment center is a powerful message to send. If Microsoft can convince users to put the Xbox One in their living room, in between the cable box and the TV, they will be able to do what no one else is doing on the TV right now.Microsoft’s “Invitation” promo is everything it needs to be. The idea that the Xbox One is not simply sitting there waiting for you to turn it on, but actively pulling you back in front of the TV, is unique because Microsoft can actually deliver on that experience.The ability to Skype with your friends right after something interesting happens on TV, or the option to just curl up on the couch and ask for a movie to start playing has the potential to be a huge deal for more than just gamers.Most importantly, Microsoft made sure to also focus on the right games for their demographic. Titanfall, FIFA 14, and of course Dead Rising 3 all get not-so-subtle references during the video. It all comes together to accurately focus on the strengths of the Xbox One, and as long as Microsoft can actually deliver this experience it will make a huge difference in the life of the console.
Journal information: New Journal of Physics This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. Investors’ risk tolerance decreases with the stock market, study finds What explains the correlations often seen between two arbitrarily selected stocks? Collective behavior between stocks is one feature that may be explained by human herding behavior. Herding may also explain some market features that are not well explained by rational factors. Credit: Shapira, et al. ©2014 IOP Publishing Ltd Citation: Herding in the stock market may inspire human-guided trading algorithms (2014, June 6) retrieved 18 August 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2014-06-herding-stock-human-guided-algorithms.html © 2014 Phys.org More information: Yoash Shapira, et al. “Modelling the short term herding behavior of stock markets.” New Journal of Physics. DOI: 10.1088/1367-2630/16/5/053040 (Phys.org) —Humans have a strong tendency to belong to a group, an instinct that often manifests in herding behavior. Not limited to humans, herding exists throughout nature, for example in ant colonies, schools of fish, and flocks of birds. But what about the stock market? Explore further In an attempt to explain these features, the researchers developed a model of stock market behavior that consists of just two terms: a correlation coefficient that represents the individual tendency to follow the group (herding), and a random term that represents the individual’s unpredictable reaction to new external information. The researchers found that this simple model could capture several features of the market, including short-term price fluctuations, as well as partial long-term correlations of stocks with respect to other stocks and the index. Other known features of real markets that emerged in this model were the Epps effect (the phenomenon that correlations decrease as sampling frequency increases), short-term lagged autocorrelation (the correlation of a stock with itself), and synchronized “bursts” between stocks. Previously, some of these characteristics (such as the Epps effect) have been thought to originate in factors related to the technical aspects of trading. Others (such as lagged autocorrelation) have not been successfully explained by technical factors. The fact that all of these features can be explained by a model that at its core is based on herding behavior suggests that the social and emotional behavior of investors has a significant impact on stock market dynamics. As the researchers explain, understanding why investors make the decisions they do is important when trying to prevent market crashes and improve stability.”In the future, observed phenomena that do not necessarily conform with conventional financial theory should not be thought of as very intriguing or frightening, if they could be explained by taking into account human behavior effects,” Berman said. “This might reduce panic and prevent false alarms.”Accounting for the human element in financial trading could even have a fundamental impact on how computer algorithms are used in trading. In the past, traders used computers to analyze market activity and provide clues for making investment decisions. Today, “algo trading” has evolved to the point where the algorithm does the investing for humans. A major problem with this trading model is that, if everyone uses similar algorithms, then herding behavior emerges, which leads to market instability. “One of the things that I can see in the future is, if you show a human being financial information and record their brain response and associated behavior, then you can use this input to guide the computer in making trading decisions,” Ben-Jacob said. “So instead of using the computer to guide the human, you can use the human to guide the computer.”Understanding how the brain reacts to stress can also help traders make more rational decisions. As Ben-Jacob explains, most of the time humans behave somewhat—though not completely—rationally. However in times of stress, the brain secretes hormones that change the way it processes reality, changing its response. In stressful times, humans usually follow patterns that are familiar to them, avoid making individual decisions, and become more herd-like. Interestingly, there is even some evidence that the female and male brains respond differently to stress, which may provide insight into how to better respond to market fluctuations.”The female brain under stress tends to see more of the global picture and to think about continuation,” Ben-Jacob said. “In some sense, it reacts better in that it does not go into panic as much as the male brain.”In these ways, the merging of psychology and finance may offer unique benefits to understanding and improving stock market dynamics. Although we may like to believe that our rational side (“Homo economicus”) dominates when it comes to financial decision-making, a new study shows that herding behavior can explain several features of stock markets that are not explained very well by more rational factors. Understanding the human emotional side to investing could even lead to human-guided trading algorithms and improved market stability.The researchers, adjunct researcher Yoash Shapira, PhD student Yonatan Berman, and Professor Eshel Ben-Jacob at Tel-Aviv University in Israel, have published a paper on the influence of herding behavior in stock markets in a recent issue of the New Journal of Physics.”It is important to understand that a big part of the activities in the stock market are not derived from rational thinking and the flow of information, but rather from emotional human behavior,” Shapira told Phys.org. “This is contrary to the accepted point of view that governs economic theories. Using physical terms, financial markets are very noisy. We show that most of the ‘noise’ is due to human emotional factors and has to be analyzed as such.”Usually when researchers model the stock market, they treat it as a network of many investors whose actions are influenced by both external information (such as quarterly reports or world news) and internal information (namely the stock prices, or in other words the trading behavior of other investors). Although these influences may seem straightforward, the resulting behaviors of the markets are very complex. For one thing, stock prices undergo large, rapid, and unpredictable short-term fluctuations. A second noteworthy feature of markets is the strong collective behavior between stocks and between different indexes in different markets.While previous research has attempted to explain these two features—price fluctuations and collective behavior—as the result of new information, this by itself is not sufficient for two main reasons. First, prices fluctuate much more rapidly than new substantial information is released. Second, the new information is often not clear enough to cause investors to use it to make universal trading decisions.
Posted by Share Monday, March 25, 2019 << Previous PostNext Post >> Sunwing’s incentives for early summer bookings include 4X STAR points
Travelweek Group Tags: Agent Incentives, Sunwing TORONTO — Agents can earn big this summer with Sunwing’s early booking incentives that also include deals and perks for clients.Sunwing is offering 4X STAR agent reward points that convert to cash for summer bookings at some of its most popular resort chains across the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America.Sunwing is offering reduced deposits, Price Drop Guarantee and a $50 travel voucher per person to be used towards their next vacation for customers who book by April 17 for travel between June 20 and Oct. 31.Meanwhile agents can earn 4X STAR Points at participating resorts including Jewel Resorts, Lopesan Costa Bavaro Resort, Spa and Casino, Memories Resorts and Spa, Planet Hollywood, Princess Hotels and Resorts, RIU Hotels & Resorts, RIU Palace Resorts, Royalton Luxury Resorts and Viva Wyndham Resorts during the specified departure dates.Sunwing says it’s offering its customers extra perks to ensure their travel budget goes further with deals such as Kids Stay, Play and Eat FREE deals, accommodation options that sleep families of five or more, no single parent supplement fees and more, depending on the resort they select.More news: Sunwing ready to launch Mazatlán-Quebec City direct this winterSunwing says its Best Price Guarantee also makes sure travellers get their summer vacation with peace of mind knowing that should they find the exact same vacation package elsewhere prior to booking, Sunwing will match that price.At Royalton Luxury Resorts, families get reservation-free dining with children-friendly menu options and kids clubs including the ClubHouse Kids Club and Hangout Teens Lounge.At RIU Palace Resorts, Sunwing guests enjoy additional perks such as unlimited reservation-free dining, in-room liquor dispensers, 24-hour room service, poolside wait service and unlimited free WiFi around the resort.
The long Mother’s Day weekend is upon us – and as usual, Costa Rica will be full of events to celebrate what is arguably the country’s most beloved holiday. In this special edition of our Calendar, check out a few of our favorite ways to treat Mom this year, from great eats to live music to shopping.Barceló San JoséHotel Barceló San José has three different delicious meals prepared. At El Rancho Grill, families can enjoy a poolside meal including a welcome cocktail, appetizer, main course with a choice of dishes, and desserts, plus a children’s menu, live music and raffles. Sunday, August 14 and Monday, August 15, 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. $50 for two people and $25 for a third person. More info.: 2220-2034 ext. 646At the hotel’s Restaurante Miyako, a special Asian menu for Mother’s Day includes a welcome cocktail, appetizer, main course, beverage and dessert. Friday, August 12 – Monday, August 15, 6 p.m. – 11 p.m. $35 per person. More info.: 2220-2034 ext. 715Finally, Restaurante Ánfora will offer a buffet-style lunch which, as with the other restaurants’ menus, will include a welcome cocktail, appetizer,main course and various dessert options. Fruit juices and sodas are included in the price of the meal. While celebrating your mother’s special day, you’ll be able to listen to live music, have your picture taken with your mother, and participate in raffles. Sunday, August 14 and Monday, August 15, 12 p.m. – 3 p.m. Starting at $43. More info.: 2220-2034 ext. 715 Celebrate with your mother along with delicious Asian cuisine. (Courtesy of Hotel Barceló) Related posts:Arts and culture in brief: the week ahead in Costa Rica Arts and culture in brief: the week ahead in Costa Rica Arts and culture in brief: the week ahead in Costa Rica Arts and culture in brief: the week ahead in Costa Rica Manos Emprendedoras Organic FairWant to treat the moms in your life, while also contributing to the family businesses of other hard-working mothers? Do some last-minute gift shopping (or take mom along so she can sample the wares) at the Manos Emprendedoras Organic Fair, which offers various products such as jewelry, soaps and creams. All of the products are handcrafted and designed by entrepreneurial mothers who seek to expose their organic handcrafted products. Sunday, August 14 and Monday, August 15 at Plaza Real Cariari. No entrance fee. Buy handcrafted and organic gifts for mom at the Manos Emprendedoras Organic Fair. (Via Facebook/Mano a Mano)Francisca Carrasco BicentennialAn unusual and inspiring way to celebrate Mother’s Day this year: learning more about one of Costa Rica’s most fearless women. Francisca “Pancha” Carrasco learned to read and write at a time when women didn’t go to school, led a female brigade through the streets in the 1840s to protest dictator Francisco Morazán, and in 1856 put her shooting skills to work in order to help the Costa Rican forces recover a cannon at the Battle of Rivas. To mark the bicentennial of her birth, events including music, theater and dance are planned. Friday, August 12 – Sunday, August 14, Juan Santamaría Museum in Alajuela.Mercado Tropical: Mother’s Day EditionIt might just be the mother of all markets: the popular Mercado Tropical has prepared a Mother’s Day edition featuring many of Costa Rica’s best design, gourmet products, emerging artists, natural cosmetics, independent publishers and food, all in one place. In addition to some serious shopping, the market will offer free workshops and concerts. Saturday, August 13 (1 p.m. – 8 p.m.) and Sunday, August 14 (11 a.m. – 8 p.m.) at the Polideportivo de Barrio Aranjuez, San José. No entrance fee. The Mercado Tropical has a wide offer of different products for mothers. (Via Mercado Tropical’s Facebook)Live MusicWant to take mom to a show? There are more Mother’s Day concerts this weekend than we can count: check out a west-side serenade, jazz over curry, or classic tunes from AutenTicos por Siempre at the National Stadium.Did we miss your favorite event to celebrate motherhood? Let us know for next year! Facebook Comments